A cross-border consortium led by Swedish biotech company Cellevate, in partnership with Germany’s Fraunhofer IBMT and bioreactor specialist OLS (Omni Life Science), has secured a €1 million grant.

This was through the Eurostars innovation program to accelerate large-scale production of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).

The three-year project aims to validate Cellevate’s recently launched Cellevat3d nanofiber microcarriers for scalable iPSC production in suspension bioreactor systems developed by OLS. The collaboration will benchmark the new method against standard industry processes, targeting more efficient and reproducible stem cell manufacturing.

“Human induced pluripotent stem cells exhibit significant potential for regenerative medical treatments due to their pluripotency and proliferation capacity,” said Laura Chirica, CEO of Cellevate.

“However, the large-scale production required for allogeneic therapies necessitates efficient and scalable culture systems. The newly launched Cellevat3d nanofiber microcarriers product, with their extremely large surface area and three-dimensional scale-up that is fast and easy, could solve the challenges for iPSC large-scale production in suspension bioreactor cultures.”

Cellevate’s nanofiber microcarriers are designed to improve surface-to-volume ratios in cell culture systems, offering more efficient growth environments for delicate stem cell lines. The project partners say this could address one of the biggest hurdles in bringing iPSC-based therapies to clinical and commercial reality—achieving consistent, cost-effective manufacturing at scale.

Fraunhofer IBMT will design and perform the experimental studies and says it will use its deep experience in applied stem cell research and biomedical engineering. OLS, a provider of advanced bioreactor and cell culture systems, will contribute its platform to optimize and evaluate the integration of nanofiber microcarriers into stirred-tank bioreactor workflows.

The global iPSC market, valued at $677 million in 2023, is projected to reach $1.1 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 8.8%. iPSCs are of particular interest for disease modeling, drug screening, and regenerative medicine, as they can differentiate into a wide variety of cell types including neurons and cardiomyocytes—making them more versatile than other cells like mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).

The Eurostars grant supports international R&D-performing SMEs and research institutions working on high-potential innovation projects. For Cellevate and its partners, the award reflects growing confidence in scalable platforms that support next-generation biologics and cell-based therapies.